A 34-day expedition onboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too) has tested various novel technologies.
This SID (Submersible Incubation Device) measures microbial activity and respiration in the oxygen minimum zone in situ. Flue Gas Analyser
Alex Ingle / Schmidt Ocean Institute
Oxygen is omnipresent on Earth and is essential to human survival.
But did you know that there are some unusual oceanic places on our planet where oxygen concentration is significantly low? These are naturally occurring zones known as the Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZ).
OMZs range in depth from 100 to 1000 meters and have been exceptionally challenging to study for a long time. This is because the oxygen concentrations here are below the detection limits of conventional equipment.
This has led to gaps in understanding the unique microbial ecosystem that can thrive in such low oxygen levels.
Now, a new device developed by researchers at the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Gothenburg aims to address this situation.
It was recently tested through a 34-day expedition onboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too).
This device called the mini trace analyzer insitu logger (mTail), successfully found “sporadic pockets of water” containing extremely low oxygen levels in a previously difficult-to-identify region of the Southeast Pacific.
The data will help researchers learn more about this zone’s bacteria and nutrient cycling.
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